“Discipline is just choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” – found on Twitter

Parkour Videos Make Me Wish I’d Done Something Different With My Youth

To think of all the time I spent watching TV when there were much more interesting uses of my time…

Cheesy Video Friday: (Keep Feeling) Fascination

The Human League is probably best known for a big hit in 1981, but I think this is their best song.

That being said, the video really hasn’t held up over time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpH2hngW_4Q (yeah, embedding is disabled on pretty much all their videos)

5,000 Years Of Religion In 90 Seconds

Maps Of War is one of those really cool websites that I often forget about for some reason (you know you have one, as well!).

Anyway, this is one of their most recent maps; it shows the world’s best-known religions based on geography.

Bad Video Friday: Twin Videos From Twin Brothers

I couldn’t decide which of these videos to go with, so you get both.

1) “(I Can’t Live Without Your) Love & Affection” This is Nelson’s only #1 hit, but it comes with a video that’s a little weird. The beginning and end don’t make any sense, and the location of the performance in the middle is a little trippy.

2) “After The Rain” This one has a medicine man, which is the universal symbol of “this video doesn’t make sense.”

So, to summarize, the Nelson formula for a hit video: sepia-toned intro and ending + weird stage performance in the middle.

Bad Video Friday: NKOTB Try To Show Off Their “Street Cred”

So, here’s my theory on this one: New Kids’ “No More Games” album came out right around the time Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch were big, and I’m thinking some record company exec said, “Hey, isn’t Marky Mark’s older brother a New Kid? Why don’t we have him rap a little, and maybe try to toughen up the entire group’s image?”

Now I could be wrong, but what else could explain this?

By the way, I know I’m a day late. No need to point that out, my one reader.

Bad Video Friday: Once They Dropped The “Jefferson,” Things Just Weren’t The Same…

“MARCONI PLAYS THE MAMBA!!!”

Thanks to a Facebook post, this is wedged in my head today.

Grace Slick is simply amazing.

Jefferson Airplane was awesome.

Jefferson Starship wasn’t bad.

However, this incarnation should’ve never happened…

Freakonomics: The Movie!

Yeah, I’m looking forward to this one.

Stephen Dubner & Morgan Spurlock discuss the movie in a radio interview:

…and, of course, the trailer:

Can’t wait!

“DMC & DJ Run, Dum-Diddy-Dum-Diddy-Diddy-Dum-Dum!”

Yeah, I totally have “Here We Go” by Run-DMC stuck in my head!

Stuff I Learned Watching MTV In The ’80s – “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell

I tried this about a year ago. Not my best work, but enough to inspire another try.

There were so many videos I considered for this one:

Oran “Juice” Jones – “The Rain” (other than the super awesome rap at the end, I just can’t get into this one)

Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar on Me” (UK Version) (Ridiculous video, but I doubt too many of you are familiar with the UK video for this song)

Love & Rockets – “So Alive” (this video is part “live” performance, part late 80s video cliches, and part stuff that totally confuses me. Add to that the fact that the song is still awesome 20+ years later, and all I have are obvious jokes)

I figured I would have to settle for something by Greg Kihn, since making fun of “Jeopardy” takes little effort. Then, I remembered a glorious video from 1983.

From the man that followed this, his biggest hit, with “Obscene Phone Caller” and “Peeping Tom.”

I bring you, “Stuff I Learned Watching Rockwell’s ‘Somebody’s Watching Me.’”


note: The time codes reference the part of the video I’m talking about. Clicking the time code will open a youtube.com window taking you to that spot in the video.

0:00 – Little-known fact: Rockwell is the son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. I bring this up because I was a little shocked to see that newspapers in Detroit are written in Japanese.

0:12 – When you’re super-paranoid like Rockwell, it’s always best to own the biggest dog possible. There’s nothing like a human-sized silhouette running around your house at night to give you comfort.

0:34 – Birds are awesome. Especially Crows. Giant dog + noisy bird = 24/7 party!

0:44 – When you’re sure you have a stalker, always keep your naughty bits covered in the shower. Sure, you might face a few health and hygiene issues, but its totally worth it for the peace of mind.

0:52 – When you’re super-paranoid, you should have as many creepy things hanging on the wall as possible. They’ll scare your stalker away and not bother you one bit!

entire song – Never mind that you’re from Detroit, the ladies love a man that speaks in a fake British accent. LOVE HIM.

0:59 – Remember that thing about keeping your naughty bits covered? Well that’s out the window when you have the opportunity to get the top of your butt crack on MTV. Seriously, who would pass that up?

1:15 – always leave the television on. It scares away intruders and will NEVER play into your stalker paranoia.

1:24 – When possible, buy a house with a graveyard in the backyard. Great conversation starter! Bonus points if you can get a headstone with your name on it.

1:30 – Ignore any weird dudes in diapers hanging out in your backyard/graveyard. Everyone has a creepy-yet-harmless neighbor. There’s no possible way he’s the stalker you’re singing about.

2:03 – those little Vietnamese pigs are awesome, and even the ugly ones need love. He’ll fit in nicely with your crow and gigantic dog.

2:06 – Of course, that pig may just be your gigantic dog. Perhaps you were a little to happy for happy hour?

2:14 – When holding someone hostage, an upstairs closet is an acceptable replacement for a basement.

2:20 – Taking another shower will make the crazy go away. Maybe. Couldn’t hurt, anyway.

2:52 – I have been woefully misinformed about that monster under the bed!

A Little 90′s Nostalgia: Kid ‘N Play

You know, it’s hard to find some catchy (okay, pop) hip-hop tunes nowadays that are fun without being overly sexual. That’s why I miss these guys:

Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t always family friendly, but they also weren’t flat-out nasty. Heck, there were shades of Bugs Bunny in their videos:

Man, I miss those guys.

By the way, my favorite Kid ‘N Play song: